Best of Budapest & Hungary

Alongside London, Maui, Singapore, Shanghai, Bahrain and Las Vegas, Budapest is joining Wolfgang Puck and Byron Lazaroff-Puck’s international Generational Tasting Tour. On 3 September, the world-renowned chef and his son will appear together at Spago Budapest for one night only, presenting a six-course tasting experience that brings two generations, more than four decades of culinary legacy and the future of fine dining to the same table.

    The Generational Tasting Tour is more than a series of four-hands dinners. At its heart is the shared story of Wolfgang Puck and Byron Lazaroff-Puck: the meeting of a globally recognised culinary legacy and the next generation preparing to shape its future.

    The 2026 tour began in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas before continuing to Istanbul, and will arrive in Budapest on 3 September. Further stops include CUT London, Spago Maui, CUT Singapore, Spago Shanghai, re/Asian Cuisine in Bahrain, Caramá in Las Vegas, with Spago Beverly Hills also scheduled to join the tour. Across the year, the series spans multiple Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining destinations around the world.

    At the core of the tour is a simple but deeply personal question:

    What does it mean to inherit a culinary legacy, and how do you evolve it without losing what made it iconic?

    For more than four decades, Wolfgang Puck has been one of the defining figures of international gastronomy. From the opening of the original Spago in 1982 and his close connection to Hollywood and the Oscars, to the creation of a global restaurant group, his career has become part of the history of modern fine dining.

    The Generational Tasting Tour brings Byron Lazaroff-Puck’s perspective into dialogue with that legacy.

    Byron developed his experience in some of the world’s most acclaimed Michelin-starred kitchens, including Le Bernardin, Alinea, El Celler de Can Roca, Restaurant Guy Savoy, L’Epicure, L’Oustau de Baumanière and Steirereck. In 2025, he became President of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group.

    At every stop on the tour, Wolfgang’s classic culinary foundations meet Byron’s contemporary approach and the culture and flavours of the host city. Budapest therefore becomes a distinctive chapter within the global journey.

    Budapest: A Central European Chapter of the Story

    Budapest holds a particularly meaningful place within the tour because of Wolfgang Puck’s Central European roots.

    Born in Austria, Wolfgang first began cooking alongside his mother before starting his formal culinary training at the age of fourteen. His career later took him through some of Europe’s leading kitchens before he moved to the United States and eventually created Spago.

    In Budapest, that heritage meets Hungarian and regional inspiration.

    The six-course menu on September 3 will feature, among others, the Chinois Oyster, accompanied by the “Chain Bridge” cocktail, created by Byron Puck especially for the occasion and made with pálinka, lavender-thyme vermouth, acacia honey, and Tokaji Furmint; Kärntner Käsenudel with caviar and chive; and “Buda”, a dish created specifically to reflect the city, featuring saibling crudo rose,  lecso consommé, golden and chioggia beet and dill.

    Further courses include stuffed quail with wild mushroom and Zinfandel jus, Mangalica pork, and a dessert sequence featuring Kaiserschmarrn alongside a chocolate chestnut creation.

    The menu is not simply a collection of Wolfgang and Byron’s dishes placed side by side. It is designed as a conversation between generations, showing how a culinary idea can evolve while remaining connected to its origins.

    A Story That Extends Beyond the Plate

    The visual and experiential world of the Generational Tasting Tour is also built around the meeting of two generations.

    Each dinner is accompanied by a collectible Tasting Times newspaper, created as part of the tour’s storytelling concept. The publication explores Wolfgang Puck’s career, Byron’s professional journey and the history of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining, while evolving visually from classic editorial design into a more contemporary language.

    Film references, personal stories and interactive digital elements extend the experience beyond the food itself.

    The tour’s central theme is:

    Tradition Meets Innovation.

    Its story is not about one generation replacing another, but about two generations shaping the same legacy together, in real time.

    One Night Only in Budapest

    The Budapest experience on 3 September will begin with a cocktail reception, including a welcome drink, followed by the seated six-course dinner from 19:30. Wolfgang Puck and Byron Lazaroff-Puck will both attend the event, personally guiding guests through the Budapest chapter of the Generational Tasting Tour.